David Cameron has been accused of “failing women across the country” with a picture of the PM’s all-male front bench being shared widely as an example of the Tories “problem with women.”

Ed Miliband was quick to pounce upon Theresa May's absence from the front bench and turn it into a political opportunity.

The Labour leader told the chamber: “I do have to say a picture tells a thousand
words... look at the all male front bench laid before us.

“You said you want to represent the whole country. I guess they
didn't let women into the Bullingdon Club either, so there we
go.

“You said a third of your ministers would be women, you are
nowhere near meeting the target. Half the women you have appointed
as ministers after the election have resigned or been sacked. And
in your cabinet, there are as many men who went to Eton or
Westminster as there are women.

“Do you think it is your fault the Conservative Party has a
problem with women?”

Mr Cameron said: “Let me give you the figures. Of the full
members of the Cabinet who are Conservatives, 24%, a quarter, are
women. Not enough - I want to see that grow. Of the front bench
ministers, of the Conservatives, around 20% are women.

“That is below what I want to achieve in 33%. We are making
progress and we will make more progress.”

Male jeering filled the chamber at Prime Minister's Questions as
Cameron tried to counter Ed Miliband’s accusations, using Thatcher’s
leadership as an example of the Tories’ record on equality.

The PM added: “Let me make this point: this party is proud of
the fact we had a woman prime minister.

“To be fair to the Labour Party they have had some interim
leaders who are women, but they have this habit of replacing them
with totally ineffective men.”

Yet as Miliband pointed out, at least Thatcher won an election
outright.

David Cameron says he thinks politics should represent Britain
but there is not a single woman on the Govt frontbench in #pmqs

The lack of women in senior positions in government is
increasingly an embarrassment for the PM. Even more
damning for Cameron, one of the two female MPs who were
visible behind him at PMQs on Wednesday has just been deselected citing "ungentlemanly
behaviour". Anne McIntosh, MP for Thirsk and Malton MP said this
had brought “great discredit to the Conservative Party” and added
that her claims were being looked at in the “highest ranks” of her
party.

Miliband's accusations that David Cameron runs his party "like
an old boys network" comes after Conservative ministers were
accused of carrying out a “cull” of women who head public bodies.
This came amid a growing controversy over the sacking of the chair
of Ofsted, the schools inspectorate Sally Morgan. Harriet Harman
said it was "raining men" in the Conservative party.

The Conservative party has 48 women MPs and 256 men, while
Labour has 86 women and 169 men. The Lib Dems have just seven out
of 57 MPs. The front bench was all men on Wednesday because Home
Secretary Theresa May was missing from her usual front bench
position. The Labour bench included senior figures such as shadow
work and pensions secretary Rachel Reeves, shadow home secretary
Yvette Cooper and shadow transport secretary Mary Creagh.